Adjustable basketball hoop mounting



H. RUBIN ADJUSTABLE BASKETBALL HOOP MOUNTING Dec. 12, 1950 Patented Dec. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE BASKETBALL HOOP MOUNTING Herbert Rubin, New York, N. Y. I

Application March 24, 1949, Serial No. 83,189

2 Claims. (01. 273-) relates to improvements Presently, basketball hoops are used by removably mounting the same on doors or the like and by affixing them to the sides of tree trunks, barns, and diverssimilar vertical surfaces. However, means have not been provided for variously mount 12 adapted to be affixed to a door IS on which mount is slideably mounted a mounting box M to the front of which box is secured a basketball hoop l5.

The feature of adjustability in height ismade possible by the mount l2 which consists preferably of a linear section of track H5, at the lower portion of which is secured a suction cup I1, and

a clip member I8 comprising a preferably short positioning the same in height once so mounted or affixed. Hence, if it is intended that both youngsters and adults are to use such hoops, either a compromise height suitable to neither one of the. groups must be employed or a height best adapted to the requirements of one group the users of such hoops to variously position the same in height after they have been mounted or. affixed to a vertical surface.

A. further object of my invention is to provide mountings for basketball hoops which permit the same to be positioned at varying heights and which may be used either to mount them by means making use of the tops. of doors, chairs and fences or the like. 1

Other objects and. a fuller understanding of my invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments thereof, it being understood that the foregoing statement of the objects of my invention is intended to generally explain the same without limiting it in any manher.

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a basketball hoop and associated mounting embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the mounting box and associated elements removed from the mount.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side eleva tional view of the mounting box and track, broken away to show portions of the interior of said box.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to the embodiment of the invention, as

shown in Figs. 1 to 6 thereof, it comprises a linear panel l9, a frontward extending panel 20, a front leg 2|, a top 22, and a rear leg 23, said legs and top being formed into an. inverted U, the open end of which extends downwardly and overlies in part said panels. Aspring 24 is secured to top, 22 and bent downwardly so as to bulge out from rear leg .23. Track 16 and clip "5 are preferably made of the same type of strip metal which may have some resiliency and may be reinforced by corrugations 25. .The mount I2 is assembled by aligning holes in the upper portion of track I 6 and linear panel I!) of clip 18 and fastening the two together by means of wing nut 26 and bolt 21. The corresponding corrugations 25 assist in such alignment.

Mounting box l4 may be round and may consist of two sections, a body member 28 inthe form of a relatively shallow open can and a cover member 29 adapted to slide over and close the open end of the body member, the walls of the ....50 Fig. 6 is a schematic of the electrical circuit in said mounting box.

' slots.

cover member extending for some distance over the walls of the body member. The walls of both members have corresponding slots 30 at the tops and bottoms thereof, to permit track I6 to pass through mounting box M. A spring 3| ismounted on the inside of cover member 29 and is shaped to bulge toward track 16 and exert pressure against it when the track is inserted through the Slotting the walls of the members, in addition to providing a means to enable mounting box 14 to slide up and down track I 6 also serves to lock cover member 29 in place. over body member 28 and prevents relative rotational movement between the members. Two pairs of loops 32 oppositely disposed across the vertical axis of the front face of box member 28 areformed by making a pair of vertically aligned horizontally extending slits for each loop and then bending the metal between said slits outward to form each of such loops.

Basketball hoop l 5 consisting of an almost com plete circle of a relativelyheavy wire which terminates in downwardly extending prongs 33 is I mounted upon the mounting box M by inserting is mounted a conventional buzzer 4|.

basket net 34. An opening on the vertical axis of mounting box I4 below the level of hoop I5 is made by slitting the box vertically a short distance and then making two horizontal slits on each side of the vertical slits the metal between such slits being bent outward to a position substantially normal to the front face of the box to form oppositely disposed ears A thin ovalshaped sleeve 35 comprising preferably a sheet of metal bent to form the sleeve leaving the ends thereof at the bottom of the sleeve slightly apart and having projecting downward therefrom prongs 55 corresponding in size to ears 54 is piv otally monuted on said ears by passing pin 56 through corresponding holes in the prongs and ears. When so mounted, portions of sleeve 35 extend inside of mounting box -I4 and portions, including prongs 55 are outside of said box. Arm 36 is mounted on the mounting box I 4 by inserting the same through sleeve .35 the width of the arm approximating the width of the sleeve and hence the arm is held in place by frictional engagement with the sides of sleeve .35. Arm 36 extends from a position inside the said box to a Position approximately underneath the center of hoop 15. Since sleeve 35 is pivotally mounted on mounting box I 4, the arm is likewise free to move vertically. At the outer end of the arm may be secured a contact plate 31 which is preferably a substantially circular disk. To the end of the arm 36 within the mounting box 54 is affixed a spring contact 38 which is lifted into contact with the bottom or negative terminal of storage cell v39 when arm 35 is depressed as by a basketball passing through hoop I5 and striking contact plate 31. ,An incandescent lamp 4!! of the flashlight bulb type is mounted in the upper portion of mounting box I4 by drilling a suitable aperture therein so that the lamp may be screwed into place by engagement of its threads with the wall of the box. For convenience, storage cell 39 which may be of the 1 /2 volt type is secured by means of clamp 43 to the inside of the mounting box intermediate lamp I4 and spring contact 38, as shown in Fig. 4.

The electrical circuit linking the various electro-responsive components is shown in Fig. 6 wherein spring contact 38 is represented as a switch. It can be seen that when the spring contact is elevated so as to touch the negative terminal of storage cell 39 it effectively connects the said negative terminal to ground, which in this case is the mounting box I4 itself and thus completes the circuit through ground so as to cause incandescent lamp scribed. Mounted over the bulb portion of incandescent lamp 49 is a translucent hemispheric shell 42 completely covering the same and guarding it from contact with the thrown basketball.

To assemble the device, the end of track I 6 cpposite suction cup I! is passed through slots 30 with the suction cup facing away from mounting I .box I4. Then clip I8 is fastened to the track as explained above. The entire device may then be placed upon a door I3, as shown in Fig. 1, by

--pressing the clip down upon the top of the door until top 22 of clip I3 is in contact with the top of the door. In this position, spring 24 will press Adjacent to the storage cell tightly against the side of the door and hold the top of the mount in place. It may be observed that due to the action of spring 24 the assembly may be securely mounted upon doors of varying thicknesses. If then pressure is applied to the back of suction cup H, the entire assembly will be securely aflixed to the side of the door. Mounting box I4 and the elements associated with it may then be positioned at various heights by merely sliding the same up or down track I6. The box will be held in place along the track by the pressure of spring 3I against the track and also by reason of the frictional engagement of the longer edges of slots 30 with the broad faces of the track resulting from the distributed weight of the box and loop I5.

My invention has utility features in addition to those which are incidental to the use of adjustable basketball hoops embodying it where the players are of different heights. For example, in connection with the use of the basketball device, many games can be readily contrived which employ a basket at a height lower than the regulation height or lower than the height of the top of the door. In addition, youngsters may be cncouraged to learn to throw a basketball if at the commencement of their period of learning it is made easier for them to score baskets. So, a youngster might start with a basket mounted on a track in a low position and gain confidence in some skill while the basket is kept at a low position. As the youngsters skill is increased, the basket may be raised.

'It is axiomatic in the toy game and athletic fields that the utility of a game or device may be lessened when the players or users achieve a high degree of skill with the game or device. Hence, if the opportunities are present for varying the conditions of the game or of the athletic endeavor, then the game or device is that much more useful and, of course, is that much more salable as an item of merchandise.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous additional changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without transcending the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a portable, adjustable and knock-dos support for basketball hoops, an elongated tr. member, an inverted substantially U-sbapefl clip member adjustably and detachably com nected to the upper end of said track member. a leaf-spring engaged with a portion of said clip member to enable the latter to be yieldingly engaged with the top of a vertical structure to position said track member in linear suspension therebelow, a mounting box of materially greater width than said track member having vertically aligned slot in the upper and lower ends thereof to receive said track member theretb ough, means within said mounting box coacting with portions of said track member to yieldingly retain said box member in vertically adjusted positions on the track member, a basketb l hoop, means formed on the front face of mounting box for detachably connecting the ends of said hoop thereto, and means at the lower end of said track member for detachably connecting the latter to the face of the structure on which the device is supported. I

In a portable, adjustable and knock-down support for a basketball hoop, an elongated track member, an inverted substantially U-shaped clip member adjustably and detachably connected. to the upper end of said track member, a leafspring engaged with a portion of said clip mernher to enable the latter to be yieldingly engaged with the top of a vertical structure to position said track member linear suspension therebelow, a mounting box of materially greater width than said track member having vertically aligned slots in the upper and lower ends thereof to receive said track member therethrough, spring means Within said mounting box coact-- ing with portions of said track member to yieldlngly retain said box member in vertically adjusted positions on said track member, a basketball hoop, means formed on the front face of REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,711,158 Rece Apr. 30, 1929 2,085,206 Holmdahl June 29, 1937 ,305,187 Neiden Dec. 15, 1942 

